


Communications

by Octobig



Series: First Contact [3]
Category: Mass Effect: Andromeda
Genre: (or should I say: omni-tool sex??), Alien Biology, Dirty Talk, Established Relationship, F/M, Fanart, Fluff, Masturbation, Mutual Masturbation, Phone Sex, Sex Toys, Sexting, Smut, neiticora
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-31
Updated: 2017-03-31
Packaged: 2018-10-13 07:08:04
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,372
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10508811
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Octobig/pseuds/Octobig
Summary: Lightyears away from where Sara was born and grew up, a gap of almost un-traversable space; a gap during which she lay asleep in her cryo pod like some sort of Sleeping Beauty with a big gun, and he was eventually born into the arms of the Resistance. Yet somewhere in the fabric of time and space, weaving between the strings holding the universe together and bursting forth like a gravitational slingshot, there was a tiny possibility of them meeting. Of them connecting, energy blazing under his skin, seeking contact; of lonely heavenly bodies colliding and finding common ground in a desolate place where you can barely tip-toe through the stars.[Or alternatively: Jaal is gone on a mission and Sara is lonely, but SAM suggests an effective solution.]





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [NeitiCora](https://archiveofourown.org/users/NeitiCora/gifts).



> Now with some amazing nsfw art by the lovely neiticora@tumblr.com! ❤️
> 
> Please visit her tumblr! She's an amazing human being and a huge inspiration for this series. Thank you so, so much for this gorgeous cover art. I will always treasure it immensely.

Sara Ryder rolls onto her back on her twin-sized bed in the Pathfinder’s quarters with a dull thump, arms spread wide and staring up at the ceiling. The Tempest is docked at the Nexus, allowing her crew some much-needed downtime – Sara’s sure that the endless number of probes Suvi’s been sending out into space have given her trigger-finger syndrome at this point, and she was not the only one ready for a bit of rest and relaxation. The Vortex will be well-visited tonight, she estimates.

“I am inclined to agree,” SAM says, module at her desk flickering. “However, against my predictions, you did not join the others.”

The question SAM does not ask hovers unanswered between them as Sara stays silent.

Rolling over onto her side, she watches the little silver minis and figurines on the shelves along the walls. The little spaceships she’s collected on her journeys so far and with them, many memories. Abandoned labs, busy marketplaces, colorful but violent spots like Kadara Port. And also the stories her father always told them when they were little.

She went off the Tempest like the others when they landed, of course, taking the tram straight back to Hyperion’s cryo deck. And as soon as she passed through the doors there was Dr. Harry’s face, filled with feeling and pity, and Scott was still there on one of the beds; _there_ but not.

Sara hates seeing her brother’s face so impassive, so grey, so cold – Scott, who’s normally as expressive and awkward and snarky as she is. Maybe even more so, and it hurts to have him so close but yet so removed from normal life as it is. They’ve always been together, two parts of a somewhat wonky whole, and she walking around freely with him in a medically-induced coma like that – it’s just not _right_ , like your clothes are way too small somehow.

Suffice it so say, she wasn’t really feeling some silly dancing or weird drinks in The Vortex after that.

All of it reminds her too much of what they lost; both back in the Milky Way before they left, and here in the Andromeda Galaxy, only just after they arrived. She still sees her father’s face in her dreams sometimes, outlined vaguely against a backdrop of steam, a hazy alien atmosphere, and her own pain distorting the image even further. His eyes like a beacon, and the drop of her heart as he took his helmet off.

Andromeda is beautiful, and she’s grown to love it – probably wouldn’t even trade it anymore for the life before. But reality slaps her in the face at every turn, makes her wish she could turn back time and flee those 600 years across darkspace.

 _You’re an orphan now_ , she thinks, and it’s the loneliest thing she’s ever felt.

“Loss and loneliness,” SAM says, the volume of his audio-output a bit lower. “I think I understand. The frivolity and silliness at the Vortex would feel futile to you. The same way Scott’s condition evokes feelings of frustration.”

Sara swallows thickly, curling one hand into a fist. “Yes.”

“Is my presence bothering you? Do I remind you too much of your mother and father?” he inquiries then, surprisingly quick. SAM really _is_ getting better at reading emotions, she finds.

She shakes her head. “Nah,” she says, drawing out the word in a sigh. “It’s okay, SAM. You understand more than most, and that’s kinda what I need right now. Not needing to explain and to just have… some company.”

It’s quiet with the light dimmed in her quarters, no music to liven it up, and the Nexus outside her windows, shining its beacons out into space. The Vortex probably filled to the brim with people playing at karaoke.

“Under normal circumstances,” SAM continues, “I would suggest you seek the company of Jaal.”

Despite the whole situation, that almost makes Sara snigger. Leave it up to the most complex of AIs in the entire known universe to suggest crawling into your boyfriend’s arms when you’re feeling down.

Though SAM normally refers to the people on the crew by their last names, he’s made a habit of doing this less often lately. Probably because all of his complex machine learning algorithms are letting him know that it makes him seem more human and genuine rather than cold and calculating. It’s also a possibility that he’s doing it purely based on what _Sara_ is feeling – and her relationships with the crew members have grown much over the past time, developing into lasting and honest friendships.

Of course, Jaal was the first one SAM started calling Jaal rather than Mr. Ama Darav – but Sara supposes that a lover _is_ a special case, after all.

“But he’s not here,” Sara says, and her tone is absolutely not whiny while she plants her face in her pillow.

“Exactly,” SAM says. “I apologize. It was a redundant comment of me.”

That _does_ make Sara smile against said pillow. “Oh, shut up. You were trying to talk to fill the silence and to make me feel better.”

Before they left for the Nexus, Jaal had requested that they dropped him off on Voeld – Evfra had called some of the Resistance together for an important mission to wipe out an arm of the Roekaar. Apparently, they were hiding out in some hideously cold cave system on Voeld. Jaal’s mother Sahuna would be there as well, and Jaal wanted to take care of some reconnaissance with her – nothing major, nothing too dangerous – and then stay for the debriefing after.

It would also allow him to spend some much-needed time with his family (Sara still isn’t clear on _exactly_ how many siblings he has, and on how much of them are actually in the Resistance), which he hadn’t really seen that much after joining the Tempest crew. And Sara had understood, _of course_ she had – so they’d easily agreed to it.

But that means no Jaal in the near vicinity for four days. Normally, Sara would’ve been alright, but you can’t always predict when melancholy and loneliness hit, and when the overly-affectionate and large arms of your favorite alien in the entire galaxy might be in due demand.

“Or perhaps,” SAM says suddenly, breaking her out of her reverie, “I did so to make a suggestion.”

She rolls onto her back again. “I’m too tired to start begging you to tell me, so just say it.”

The SAM module on her desk sparks a brighter blue again. “You have been sending each other messages, have you not? Concerning his safe landing and the progression of the mission?”

Sara’s eyes glide over the omni-tool at her wrist. “Yeah. Why?”

“I could open a private channel for the two of you,” SAM says, barely nonchalant. “According to my calculations, it should be night on Voeld now as it is here. Considering the progression of the Resistance’s mission, it is highly likely that Jaal is mostly unoccupied at this moment.”

“Mostly unoccupied,” Sara echoes, liking the idea already. “I could at least send him a message _asking_ what he’s doing, right?”

SAM pretends not to sound smug, but it’s not quite working out. “I would be in favor of that, yes.”

She rolls her eyes, shaking her head. “You don’t have to sound so satisfied about it,” she murmurs, activating her omni-tool and scrolling to the messages section.

“Must I remind you of the fact that I can also acutely sense your emotions, including your inner turmoil and pain?” SAM inquires. “It would be more comfortable for the both of us if you were to move into a less stressful and content state of being.”

Sara finds Jaal’s contact easily – it’s right there at the top with her father’s and Scott’s. The first she can’t make herself to delete, not just yet, and Scott is still alive, goddamn it.

She pauses, though, and finds herself asking: “What does it feel like? _Being_ me?”

Her voice is quiet, not quite like her own, fingers still hovering over her omni-tool. She worries, sometimes – that her experience might not be enough for someone with such complexity and computing power as SAM. Can imagine rather vividly how he’d like to leave for something new and bigger and better someday; might leave her behind as all the others did.

“Now it is almost like a phantom pain,” SAM says, and his voice doesn’t really sound like himself either. “A hurting that is part of me, yet of which I can never reach its root, its core. But since it also _is_ me, at least part of it, I wish to ease it as best as I can.”

“You _are_ easing it,” she answers, breath light. “Thank you.”

SAM says nothing, but his gratitude seems to hum through their connection, and that is more than enough.

She scrolls further down, wanting to open up the private channel that SAM’s already created, but stops when a stray thought comes along and makes her cheeks burn a bit. Instead of laying here, whining to Jaal on their channel about feeling all alone in the big wide universe, she could also do something _useful_ with her time.

Her eyes flick to her wardrobe. There’s a box at the bottom that she hasn’t used in quite a while – at least not until she met Jaal and things got going between the two of them. She had it made specifically on the Nexus, because (1) this is not really a thing you pack when you’re taking a 600-year-trip through darkspace, and (2) she doesn’t really trust _any_ supplier in Kadara port enough to provide a thing like this that’s fun, functional, and – most importantly – _clean_.

Nobody really knows about it – except probably for Lexi, but Lexi knows everything and is under the patient-doctor confidentiality oath – and Sara hasn’t used it _that_ much, but this might be one of those instances for which it is perfect.

She hops off of her bed, tossing her shirt off while she’s at it, and shimmying out of her pants when she’s in front of the wardrobe. The box looks purposefully neutral, placed innocently next to a couple of shoe boxes and a pair of her favorite boots, though nobody would probably ever rifle through her closet here on the Tempest.

The box holds a sleek sex toy, curved in such a way that it perfectly hits against her sweet spot with every push inside, and it can also vibrate at about a thousand different speeds and patterns (which Sara has catalogued as two categories: ‘slow foreplay’ and ‘fast enough to make me come’). And bless her past-self’s taste in aesthetics, it’s a light pink with two white lines on it.

She grins. Yes, perfect.

Slipping out of her panties, she takes the box over to the bed and slides back beneath the covers again.

“At times, I find myself still surprised by the inventive nature of humankind,” SAM quips.

Sara laughs, putting the toy within hand’s reach and propping herself up on the pillows. “That’s what happens when your species has an inherent drive to reproduce,” she winks.

Her omni-tool flickers back to life, and the icon besides Jaal’s name is flashing green. Laughter morphing into a mischievous smile, she opens up the private channel between them and types him a message.

 

**\--- PRIVATE: A THOUSAND STARS, comm. between J. Ama Darav and S. Ryder ---**

[SARA]: hey jaal. i hope you’re safe out there!! let me know if evfra is being an ass again, i can always send him threatening coded messages through sam

[SARA]: i don’t know, maybe i can bully him into making your true mom the leader of the resistance or something

[JAAL]: HA!! Darling One!! It is such a pleasure to find you still awake.

[JAAL]: He would know it was you if that was the threat you would make. Anything related to my family would put him on your trail. He is very prideful!

[SARA]: tell me about it love. mission going well?

[JAAL]: Yes!! It was great to see my True Mother again and we did guard rotations together. She is so strong! :) And she asked me how you were.

[JAAL]: And how  _are_  you, Sweetheart?

[SARA]: kinda lonely. thinking about you

[JAAL]: Thinking or... “Thinking”? ;)

[JAAL]: I learned how to use the “” marks from Liam. He told me it’s Suggestive. I cannot have you be lonely without me, Darling.

[SARA]: oh gods i can’t believe you went there this early on in the conversation!

[SARA]: but yeah, i might be ;)

[SARA]: …are you up for some late-night sexting, big guy?

[JAAL]: If that means what I think it means, then yes, always!

[SARA]: sexting = texting + sex

[JAAL]: Ah, I see :) That is an interesting contraction! I will teach it to my younger brothers and sisters. Surely they could use this word more often!

[SARA]: ... i’m not sure whether you’re a good older brother or not, jaal

[JAAL]: I Am The Best! Everybody in the family always uses my lotion recipes. This is a fact.

[JAAL]: But, Darling, how can I make you feel less… lonely?

[JAAL]: Is there something special you want?

[SARA]: can we talk, maybe?

[JAAL]: I am in one of Evfra’s Briefings :( Audio would stand out too much, I fear.

[SARA]: aww, but your voice does _things_ to me

[SARA]: (also i can’t believe that we’re sexting during evfra’s briefing, do you want to get beheaded or something)

[JAAL]: (He will be beheaded in turn. This he knows. No person stands between me and the Light of my Life.)

[JAAL]: But if I remember correctly, you like More than just my voice!

[SARA]: ohhhhh i DEFINITELY do. dreaming about how big & strong you are right now

[SARA]: how nicely you’d fill my bed here, how you’d look naked between my legs & the sheets

[SARA]: god i’d really enjoy your arms around me right about now

[JAAL]: Well, _someone_ is very much in the Mood!

[JAAL]: I would do more than just hold you, Sara -- you have a body that deserves to be  _Worshipped_  

[JAAL]: Are you still wearing clothes??

[SARA]: not  _anymore_ , darling

[SARA]: the sheets feel a lot nicer against my bare skin

[SARA]: i can almost imagine that their smooth slide is like your fingers caressing my skin

[JAAL]: Oh Sara, but I would be much more thorough!

[SARA]: ha. as thorough as i’m being right now?

**S. Ryder has switched from manual input to neural input in A THOUSAND STARS.**

[SARA]: always difficult to type with one hand, you know

[SARA]: now i can just use both for more… interesting things

[JAAL]: Oh Dearest you’re killing me!

[SARA]: already? i’m just barely dipping my fingers between my legs

[SARA]:  _ah_ , fuck, i’m so wound up

[SARA]: where should i touch first, jaal?

[SARA]: everything just seems so inviting

[JAAL]: If you want it so badly, indulge yourself Darling, I know I would.

[SARA]: yeah? what would _you_ do, huh?

[JAAL]: Take you with my fingers, press myself between your thighs,

[JAAL]: spoil you like you deserve to be spoiled.

[SARA]: ah _fuck_

[JAAL]: You sound like you would enjoy it rougher this time, Sara.

[JAAL]: Would you have me like that?

[JAAL]: Hard and fast between your beautiful legs?

[SARA]: gods jaal YES

[JAAL]: I would have you spread open beneath me, hands within mine, and take you just like that

[SARA]: i sincerely hope you have an earpiece

[JAAL]: What? Yes, I do, but what does this have to do with our conversation?

[SARA]: have fun, darling

**S. Ryder has added a one-way audio channel [live] to A THOUSAND STARS.**

**Registering both neural and audio input.**

[JAAL]: !!!!!

[JAAL]: SARA, I can HEAR you

[JAAL]: Shit.

 

Sara half-laughs as she sees Jaal’s messages flicker over the projection from her omni-tool, biting her lip. She can’t imagine how uncomfortable this must be for him – stuck in a cave on Voeld listening to a Resistance debriefing amongst _at least_ twenty other angarans, and she’s now moaning right into his ear.

But hey, it’s _fun_.

“I’m so wet for you,” she sighs, breath hitching as she slips her fingers over her clit. “I was just feeling so lonely tonight but then I thought – _ah_ – that I could do something more useful with my time than just miss you.”

She shifts, taking the toy in her other hand. “And yeah, I _would_ like it rough,” she says, flicking the button, turning the device on. It’s a soft, slow buzzing noise; perfect setting to start with. “Have you _fuck_ me rather than just make love to me.”

A series of intelligible letters, text signs, and emojis flies across the channel, and Sara can’t really tell whether Jaal just smashed his face against his omni-tool or if he’s sending her something in his language that’s not properly translating, for reasons unknown.

“And,” she continues, pressing the toy down over her clit, “you’ve already…”

Her sentence hangs unfinished, interrupted by a series of sighs and sharp intakes of breath because the toy’s vibrating _just_ right, and Sara briefly loses the ability to shape her thoughts into something verbally coherent. She sucks in her breath, steeling herself as she pushes the toy harder, pleasure rising, her other hand coming up to tweak at a nipple.

“As I was saying,” she continues, suppressing another moan, “you’ve already ruined me so much with that delicious big dick of yours that my fingers are _barely_ enough these days.” A pause. “ _Darling_.”

Now just another line of several exclamation marks from Jaal, and it makes Sara grin again, languidly, as she presses her hips up into her own hand. It seems that angara do appreciate dirty talk – just as she expected they would. Emotionally expressive? Check. Open about sex and enjoying it? Check. Dirty talk? Check.

She lets the toy slip lower, its vibrations prickling against her labia, pushing them out of the way to nudge it against her entrance. She’s so wet she doesn’t even need extra lube.

“So,” she tries semi-casually as she pushes the toy further in, “I indulged myself _exactly_ as you told me to, and got my sex toy back into the action.” She laughs, the sound morphing into something more heated as she slowly slides it in to the hilt.

More surprised-looking messages and exclamation marks. Sara isn’t sure that sex toys are also a thing to angara.

“Oh, you’d like it,” she groans, toy slowly settling against her sweet spot, and she grinds her heels back into the mattress. “Pink, just like you. And it does this cool vibrating thing that’s a bit like the buzz of your – _fuck_ – the buzz of your bioelectricity.”

She pumps it a few times, increasing the setting and angling her thighs further open. “Ah, I really wish you were here right now. Fill me up to the brim with just you. Pound me into the mattress. _Shit_.”

She has her eyes closed now, not looking at the messages her omni-tool is projecting into the air anymore; just enjoying the steady press and hum of the toy inside her, and the way she wishes it was Jaal, always _Jaal_ , wrapped around her with his abdomen pressed flush against hers.

Suddenly, a beeping sounding a little like a pinging alarm has her eyes fluttering open, but before she can react, there’s already a voice in her ear that she knows quite well.

“ _Sara_ ,” Jaal says, voice strained and filled with amazement but also slight indignation, “I left the briefing.”

That has her laughing again, hips stuttering against her own ministrations. “That’s about time. I thought you’d never leave.” She pauses and moans, pumping the toy back and forth again. “Enjoying the show so far?”

“You are a frustrating miracle,” Jaal sighs, and she thinks she hears clothing shift.

Raising an eyebrow, she asks, curious: “Are you touching yourself?”

“Even though it would be difficult to explain this away,” he rumbles somewhat angrily – and she can picture him, eyes closed, head tilted back – “yes, I am. How can I stay silent when you…”

She increases the setting one more tier, letting her head lean back more comfortably against her pillow. “Am practically begging you to fuck me into the bedding?”

He groans. “Yes! And using a _toy_ , of all things.” He pauses, breathing increasing. “Undoubtedly I could make you a better one myself,” he mutters, sounding almost insulted.

“Ah,” she laughs, “yes, you like to get your hands on stuff and take it apart, right? Sure, you can make me a new one.” Her words taper off in another blissful sigh as she tilts the toy at a better angle. “But only if you fuck me with it.”

“Only to warm you up for my cock, darling one,” he says, voice rough.

And oh that’s _really_ doing it for Sara – she cries out his name and starts working herself more furiously now, a second hand sliding down to rub at her clit. It’s easy to mimic the insistent rhythm that Jaal usually takes if he wants to bring her over the brink, so that’s exactly what she does. The quick slide of the toy inside of her starts making an audible wet, sloppy noise – one that Jaal is obviously noticing, going by the broken moan he suddenly releases over the channel.

“Tell me more,” Sara gasps, brow furrowed in concentration, “about how you’d do me, _please_.”

Jaal’s voice is breathy and low. “If you beg me so lovingly, I would be _merciless_ for you, sweetheart. Lap at your nipples with my tongue, suck at your ravishing throat…” He trails off briefly, making a happy noise of pleasure on the other side of the channel. “… I would slide my cock down your belly and tease it between your lips, barely reaching inside of you.”

And Sara sees it happen in front of her while he speaks – Jaal's bulk bent over her, settled comfortably between her legs, mouth hungry over her breast and fingers insistent on her waist.

“And I would take my time,” he continues, merciless indeed, “even if you would want it _fast_ , darling.”

She can already feel the buildup, cheeks glowing with heat. “ _Fuck_ , Jaal.”

He lets out a grunt in response. “I would take you to the brink – again and again – have you _teetering_ on it until you are sobbing with need, Sara,” he says, voice nearly breaking, “and only then would I finally slide into you.”

“ _Gods_ , please, yes,” she half-moans, half-babbles, pivoting her hips up.

It’s so easy to picture; him teasing himself gently at her entrance, large blue eyes shining mischievously, waiting until she really can’t take it anymore before he slides all the way home, belly pressed tight against her.

He curses something but it doesn’t fully translate, and she can tell from the tremors in his voice that he’s also getting closer to the inevitable end. “You would take my cock so well, darling, like you always do,” he continues, breath heavy, “and I would fuck you as hard and deep as you want it. Pull your hips up into mine to fill you where you want it most.”

She feels herself clench down on the toy in reflex, pleasure steadily cresting. “I’m getting close, Jaal, please – ”

“Ah, Sara,” he moans back, and she can almost _hear_ the quick slide of his hand through their comm link. “I would use my bioelectrics to spike up into you, to lap at your clit and all your other secret spots, to douse you all the way through with my energy.”

And she remembers it; the sweet, sharp spark of it driving up her belly, the warm glow of him through her skin, the way he lights her up all the way from inside. The closeness of it, the delicious buzz –

Jaal doesn’t stop, voice growing heavier. “Darling, I would _mark_ you with it as mine, every press of my cock inside you telling the universe that you belong to me, and I to you.”

Sara bites her lip, desperate for release; the thrill of it spiking at his words. He’s never spoken to her quite like that – how it can be dirty and sweet at the same time is almost puzzling, but ultimately fantastically enticing and so typically Jaal. She starts rocking the toy into herself in earnest now, hips lifted up off the bed almost entirely and grinding into it. The image of it being _him_ there, fucking her as forcefully as he just described – it’s becoming too much.

“I’d come apart around you, sweetheart,” she sobs back, “I’d clench around you so tight that you can’t – can’t – oh _fuck_ – I’m – ”

“Come for me, Sara,” Jaal says, voice barely above a whisper.

And so she does, with a desperate cry, her middle-finger pressing over her clit and the toy deliciously full inside of her. She feels herself squeeze it rhythmically, twitch against the weight of it as if it’s truly Jaal's cock filling her up. The sweet release of it is just _so relieving_ after all this build-up, after listening to his stellar voice, and her mouth falls open in a wordless gasp as she rides one aftershock after another, arching her back.

“Oh Jaal, it’s _so good_ , babe, fuck,” she moans as she works herself through it, her hips still arching up in times with the slowly fading descent of her orgasm.

From the other side of the channel, she hears a vaguely muffled cry – followed by a murmured “Oh, _darling_ ” and finally a deep, slow breath. Then, a slightly annoyed huff while she’s still coming down from her high.

“I'm an absolute _mess_.”

That has her laughing even though she’s still trembling and twitchy, tremors darting over the inside of her legs. She slowly slides the toy out, throwing it to the side of the bed – she’ll clean it later – and stretches her arms over her head.

“Worth it, though,” she grins, feeling a satisfying warmth settle deep into her bones.

“ _Definitely_ ,” Jaal answers, and she hears something akin to wiping on the other side. Then, his voice again, but more hesitant. “You enjoyed yourself, Sara? I was not too, ah, insistent? Rough with my words?”

Sara smiles, lazily stretching. “Nope, not at all. Just how I liked it.” She pauses, craning her neck back to stare up at the stars and the Nexus. “I kinda jumped the whole thing on you, though. Was it too much?”

“Ha!” he exclaims loudly, sounding inordinately pleased, and then follows up in a lower volume: “No, my wonderful treasure, not at all. A lovely surprise. I didn’t know whether humans did this kind of thing, but…”

She practically hears the smile curving around his lips. “We do,” she confirms, sounding a little smug. “We usually call it ‘dirty talk’.”

“Hmm,” Jaal mutters, sounding unconvinced, and there’s more shifting of clothing and a clank of an armor piece. “Why? There is nothing foul about it. Such a strange idiom for something so openly and beautifully shared between lovers.”

That makes Sara’s own smile grow fond, and she feels her heart swell in affection for this impossible man – lightyears away from where she was born and grew up, a gap of almost un-traversable space, of her lying asleep in her cryo pod like some sort of Sleeping Beauty with a big gun, and him taking hit-and-strike missions with the Resistance. Yet somewhere in the fabric of time and space, weaving between the strings holding the universe together and bursting forth like a gravitational slingshot, there was a tiny possibility of them meeting.

Of them connecting, energy blazing under his skin, seeking contact; of lonely heavenly bodies colliding and finding common ground in a desolate place where you can barely tip-toe through the stars.

“You’re right,” Sara says, simple as it can be. Then: “I really can’t wait until you’re back, Jaal. I love you.”

His voice rumbles pleasantly. “I cannot wait either, darling. I love you, too.” Then, a deep sigh. “I should go back before they come looking for me. I devised some excuse about an… emergency call.”

She starts laughing. “Well, in some ways, it was! I had a frantic _need_ for something only my trusted anagaran lieutenant could provide. Surely you could not ignore the Pathfinder herself?”

“Sara,” Jaal says, sounding resigned, “they all _know_ that we are together.”

She shrugs against her pillows, pursing her mouth. “So? Could still be a distress call from the Tempest.”

He chuckles, but she can picture him rolling his eyes. “Do not worry. They will likely not pry. However, knowing her, my true mother will undoubtedly know what happened.”

An old memory takes ahold of Sara’s heart, and she unconsciously presses her hand against her chest. “Yeah,” she says, “moms are like that everywhere, it seems. Give her my regards anyway, she’s an absolute sweetheart.”

“I will,” Jaal says, smiling on the other side. “I have to go now, temptress, darling, holder of my heart.”

Sara smiles back even though he can’t see it. “I know. Have fun with the rest of your debriefing. And call me again sometime, hot stuff.”

He laughs, loud and open. “Goodbye, darling. I will be back soon.”

“Bye, Jaal.”

The audio connection switches off, leaving Sara alone in her quarters again – alone, yes, but no longer lonely, and feeling like she could comfortably sink into a deep sleep that would last at least 24 hours. She turns a little, grinning stupidly into her pillow, hugging it to her upper body.

“Thank you, SAM,” she whispers.

“No problem, Sara,” he answers instantly.

She dims the lights even further but keeps the dome of her room uncovered, the light of the galaxy outside flickering over her suddenly tired eyes. As she reaches for the sheets, absentmindedly rubbing over her thigh, an idea pops up into her head. Smirking, she draws the sheets back _just_ enough, and holds up her omni-tool.

 

**\--- PRIVATE: A THOUSAND STARS, comm. between J. Ama Darav and S. Ryder ---**

**J. Ama Darav has deactivated a two-way audio channel [live] in A THOUSAND STARS.**

[SARA]: hey jaal

[SARA]: save this one for when you’re done with the briefing, okay?

[SARA]: i had an absolutely _stellar_ time tonight so i thought i’d give you something nice to remember me by

[SARA]: you know, a reminder why you should haul your ass back here asap

[SARA]: love you xxx

**S. Ryder has attached an image file to A THOUSAND STARS.**

[JAAL]: SARA

[JAAL]: OH STARS

[SARA]: i said _after_ the briefing, jaal

[JAAL]: You are a luminary beauty, Darling!!

[JAAL]: I will treasure this image, always!

[JAAL]: My True Mother Sahuna thinks you look beautiful, too!

[SARA]: well, fuck.

 

When Sara wakes the next morning, sleepily rubbing her eyes, her e-mail inbox seems to have exploded. Three of the communications are from Jaal – one requesting blueprints of a certain toy that played a big role in their fun last night, one _very_ interesting shirtless picture with a lot of flexing muscle in the snowy fields of Voeld that makes her question just how resistant the angara are to the cold, and one longer message telling her about the details of the debriefing she talked (or rather, moaned) him out of.

Two other communications are from Sahuna with more questions about human anatomy and physiology, unsurprisingly.

There are also three missed calls from Vetra, and a rather alarming picture from Gil featuring him, Liam, Suvi, and Peebee, all obviously intoxicated and hanging over tables in The Vortex. (Drack is only partially visible in the background, and appears to be asleep.)

Another e-mail is from Lexi, requesting another physical and more detailed data from SAM.

Liam has sent her a brief thank-you message for offering to have his couch dry-cleaned and steamed, and says it smells better than ever. It’s a big load off of Sara’s mind, to be honest.

And then finally one from SAM that makes her eyes water _just_ a little bit, and the sun rises to its full strength behind the walls of her heart.

_There is no reason for you to worry. You are enough, Sara, and you always will be._

**Author's Note:**

> \- This was meant as a shorter, fun kind of interlude before I get back into the slightly more substantial stuff, haha  
> \- I've had this in my mind for DAYS -- you've got all the cool tech, you've got the rumbly voice thing that Jaal does, etc  
> \- This is a bit less romantic & more... saucy than what I've written up until now, hope it's still to your tastes  
> \- Shout-out to @reignitedn7 for encouraging me to let Jaal's more passionate side out earlier than I was planning  
> \- Idk what else to say guys, stay strong & clear and keep going for some nice alien banging 'kay  
> \- Hit me up on Tumblr [here](http://octobig.tumblr.com/) if you wanna
> 
>  
> 
> **If you enjoyed reading this fic, please consider leaving kudos! It means a lot to me :) ♥**


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